Check em.....

I decided to pull my hubs just to check my seals and make sure all was okay. When I rebuilt my boat last winter/spring I replaced both hubs. The hubs came complete, with bearings packed and seals installed. I added more grease and installed them.

Passenger side is where I started and it was perfect. Drivers side had a tablespoon or so of water in the hub. When I pulled the seal on that hub, I decided to wash and repack the bearings. The back bearing had rust on it and the front bearing had a roller chipped. I got lucky and was able to do this work in the "comfort" of the shop, with all the tools needed, good jacks, no traffic, in the daylight, not on the side of the road.

I've got a fishing road trip coming up within the next month and it would have SUCKED to break down on the side of the road.

It takes no more than 20 minutes per hub to pull one off, check it for water, adequate grease, etc and put it back on. If not for the upcoming road trip, I would not have checked it. From now on, I'm gonna check them twice a year.

Glad you checked 'em. Roadside bearing replacement can be the devil. I keep a spare set of bearings in one of the storage compartments on my boat. A member on here had a bearing go out on him and I was able to take him my spare bearing to get him on the road again.

I keep a spare hub in my boat

Me too Marlon. I do the same Beadle.

We didnt have a spare and our wheel passed us on 231 in ashville

I'm taking a spare tire and after tonight, probably 2 spare hubs.

So, sometimes I get ahead of myself. I used the BEST grease we have at the shop to pack the bearings. Schaeffers 238. I got home, read the whole tech data sheet and at the very end, it said do not use this grease to lubricate wheel bearings in passenger vehicles. That grease is designed for high pressure, heavy load applications. I figured it would be fine, but apparently not. I decided since I'm taking a road trip to redo them again. Finding two seals on a Sunday afternoon is a pain in the rear but I did. I used Lucas Marine grease this time, but here's the problem.... When I tighten the hubs down so they won't move, then back the castle nut off 1/2 a round and then snug it back up, the hole in the spindle for the cotter pin is dead center half way on top of a stem on the castle nut. When I snug it up to get the hole lined up, the hub is somewhat hard to turn. I can turn it by hand, but it won't spin. When I back the nut off, there's a little bit of play in the hub. I opted for the tighter setting and took it for a test spin. Hubs got a little too hot for my liking. II don't even like for them to be warm. These were hot. Not "can't touch them" hot but hot enough. Now I'll pull them back off, make sure there is no wear on the new bearings, repack them again and reinstall, AGAIN.

I replaced the hubs when I bought the boat because there was scarring on the old hubs where they had been run with bad bearings in them. Now the new hubs won't snug up just right. There's obviously some wear on the spindle. I need to just go ahead and replace the whole axle.

That's the best thing my buddy fought that on his boat for years until he cut the spindles off and welded new ones on

Yep. I've changed a few on the side of the interstate and it sucks. I also made the mistake of taking a trip without a spare once. Never do that again.

I backed the castle nuts off one notch this morning and took it on a 20 mile test spin. No heat at all. Then I went to the hay field and stayed there until 3:45 when the "constant velocity joint" broke on the PTO shaft.

Anyone want to take a guess at what one of those cost for a JD hay baler?

Gonna drag this thread back up.

With the early teal season coming up I figured I’d pull my hubs and replace bearings, races, & seals. I got both races out of one hub by tapping them out from the back with a hammer and punch. The two in the other hub won’t budge. Any tricks or different methods to make them easier to get out?

bearing puller?

Fur, couldn't you put a .050" thick washer between the nut and race and solve your problem?

Hammer and punch. If they won't move then they probably got hot and are basically welded in place. Beat the ever loving crap out of them. Buy new ones to replace with.

Yes I could have put some sort of shim washer on, but I ended up just backing them off one hole on the castle nut and it worked fine. Pulled it to the edge of the MS Delta and back with no problems.

New hubs at the parts store aren't terribly expensive if you have to go that route.

No, they aren't that expensive. They also sell them at Tractor Supply. I can get them a WHOLE lot cheaper than a parts store, but he's in Luverne and shipping would eat up the savings. I wrote, beat the crap out of them and buy new ones to replace with. I meant, buy new bearings and races. I have not met a hub yet that I couldn't get the races out of. If you have to you can weld around the inside of the race. That will shrink the steel and make it easier to get out. I'd use that as a last resort. I've cut no telling how many bearings off spindles or shafts that had been "forge" welded in place. That's easier than getting bad races out of hubs.

tbest, if you decided to buy a new hub, keep the old one and I want it. I want to see if I can get them out. It may take a while to get the aldeer express to get it from Luverne to Albertville, but I want a shot at it. LOL

My daddy came by earlier, he’s gonna take it to the mechanic shop at work tomorrow. I’m probably gonna go ahead with new hubs anyway. Like y’all said, they ain’t that expensive. If he can’t get them out tomorrow we’ll find a way to get it to you though.

New hubs won't be packed with waterproof grease. If you go that route, I'd go ahead and get 2 new seals, pull the bearings, repack them with marine grease and put new seals in. I know I'm anal about things like this, but "knock on wood" I haven't ever had one fail.

We've bought a few of them. We just buy the whole front half of the PTO shaft our have been any where from 700-1400 depending on dealer and baler